Insights: Frank Foti - President and CEO, Vigor Industrial LLC
For nearly two decades, Frank Foti has led Vigor’s transformation from a single, struggling shipyard to a thriving, increasingly diversified industrial company with 2,500 employees, 12 locations and approximately $700 million in annual revenue. According to Vigor, Foti often describes his motivation in three words: “Industrial Jobs Matter.” Committed to improving long-term, family-wage job opportunities workers and their families and communities, Foti and his management team have, over time, has worked to strategically expand and diversify the company, investing in training facilities and infrastructure along the way. Also according to Vigor, the firm has endeavored to partner with organized labor to develop the firm into a company driven by four core values: truth, responsibility, evolution and love. Under Foti’s leadership, Vigor’s annual revenues have grown from $80 million in the late 1990s to about $700 million today. At the same time the company has diversified to offer shipbuilding, blasting and coating, machining and advanced fabrication services at locations including Ketchikan and Seward, Alaska, Portland and Clackamas, Ore., and Port Angeles, Everett, Tacoma, Vancouver and Seattle, Wash. This month, the charismatic and enthusiastic Foti weighs in on the domestic shipbuilding scene during a time of challenges for the entire maritime cluster. Listen in as Foti tells it as only he can do:
offerings when it scooped up Alaska Ship and Drydock in Ketchikan after raising $75 million through private equity firm Endeavour Capital. Vigor CEO Frank Foti continues to build scale through acquisitions, while diversifying the company’s construction and repair capabilities to include cargo fleets, barges
big and builds big. The company’s new floating dry dock will be the largest in the United States. And Vigor wants to get even bigger. CEO and owner Frank Foti expresses an ambition to grow to twice the current size in the “next few years.” Foti, who is also chairman of the Shipbuilder’s Council of America
Frank Foti of Vigor Industrial has steadily embarked on a consolidation of the Pacific Northwest ship construction and repair industry. Starting in Portland in 1995 with about 50 employees, the ubiquitous owner of Vigor has built his business today to more than 2,000 employees in an ever-widening industrial
Avenue Portland, OR 97217 Tel: (503) 247-1777 Email: [email protected] Website: www.vigorindustrial.com President & CEO: Frank Foti The Company: Based in Portland, Oregon, Vigor Industrial is the Pacific Northwest’s leader in shipbuilding and repair. With seven shipyards and
the problem was set to get worse. Vigor’s ability to meet expected demand hinged on a labor force that didn’t appear to exist. Workforce Development Frank Foti, Vigor’s CEO, isn’t one to sit around and wait for problems to self-resolve. He decided the best way to find a skilled available workforce was to
General has leased the facility from Portland Port Authority since 1995, when it became the sole shiprepairing company in the port. Since then, Frank Foti, chairman of Cascade General, and future head of the new operation, has been looking to complete the buy-out. The yard currently boasts an annual
sector continues to gain steam, powered by transport needs in the vibrant energy sector, I had the opportunity to visit with Vigor Industrial owner Frank Foti in his shipyard in Seattle last month. In my 20+ years at the helm of Maritime Reporter, I have been privileged to meet and interview hundreds of
and acquired Alaska Ship and Drydock in Ketchikan after raising $75 million through private equity firm Endeavour Capital of Portland, OR. Vigor owner, Frank Foti, continues to build scale through acquisitions, while diversifying the company’s construction and repair capabilities to include cargo fleets, barges
power and control signals were An innovative means of pressure compensation was shown passed through the Pressure Hull via four discrete penetrators by Frank Snodgrass, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in in the penetrator plate at the upper pole of the Pressure Hull. 1968. His wet-cell automotive
except for February, Au- The publisher assumes no respon- Advertising Sales Manager gust, and December by New Wave sibility for any misprints or claims Frank Covella Media, 118 E. 25th St., New York, or actions taken by advertisers. www.marinetechnologynews.com [email protected] NY 10010-1062. Periodicals
. Next, Wendy Laursen takes a [email protected] | +1.631.472.2715 in the book with our multiple brands serv- look at new cranes being developed for Frank Covella [email protected] | +1.561.732.1659 ing the global maritime, offshore energy, offshore wind installation and maintenance Tricia Garrett
Schottel Rud- derPropellers type SRP 430 LE azimuthing thrusters, fea- turing propeller diameters of 2.5 meters. The vessel also has From left: Chairman Frank Urtasun, Board of two small John Deere generators on board for emergency Port Commissioners, Port of San Diego; Paul use and to enable long distance
service this Spring, it will serve as a testbed, both Tel: 631-472-2715 for its clean propulsion system and advanced control systems designed to Frank Covella • [email protected] Tel: 561-732-1659 Fax: 561-732-8063 scale toward tech-assisted and eventually autonomous operations
and future proof its ? eet. [email protected] | +1.631.472.2715 economic interest. Our interview with Ebel- Coming back from the future to the Frank Covella [email protected] | +1.561.732.1659 ing starts on page 26. here and now, contributing editor Wendy Tricia Garrett The ARC interview
the supply chain gathered to discuss the path forward, Tel: 631-472-2715 demonstrating that there are many ? rmly committed to helping this indus- Frank Covella • [email protected] Tel: 561-732-1659 Fax: 561-732-8063 try grow. I take this as a good sign. The future has yet to
except for February, Au- The publisher assumes no respon- Advertising Sales Manager gust, and December by New Wave sibility for any misprints or claims Frank Covella Media, 118 E. 25th St., New York, or actions taken by advertisers. www.marinetechnologynews.com [email protected] NY 10010-1062. Periodicals
Incat Crowther tions for offshore wind proj- Image courtesy Van Oord ects. The extension, weighing ncat Crowther will partner with Gulf Craft LLC in Frank- 1200 tons, will be built by Holland Shipyards. Besides the lin, La., to design and deliver a new USCG Subchapter-K gantry extension, the upgrade
is the bold head- John Cagni [email protected] | +1.631.472.2715 Not only did he let us inside the journey line on the cover, make no mistake: Campe Frank Covella to dual-fuel hydrogen, he wanted to share and the CMB.TECH team are fuel agnostic. [email protected] | +1.561.732.1659 with us and
ISO- transmission development. NE itself that has set the 1,200 MW ceiling as a design limit, not PJM or NYISO. The ISO-NE could similarly remove its Frank self-imposed limit and instead abide by the hourly check-in Washington, D.C., partner set out in the 1991 agreement for new resources up to the Kimberly
SIZE “LIMIT” IN NEW ENGLAND How the Maximum Contingency of 2,200 MW Was Recast to a 1,200 MW Ceiling By K&L Gates partners Theodore Paradise, Kimberly Frank, and Ruta Skucas 16 November/December 2023 MTR #8 (1-17).indd 16 11/28/2023 11:19:19 A
Authors & Contributors Frank Ewing Gullick Konowe Skucas Lundquist Paradise Strachan Ewing Konowe the changing landscape of the electric Tom Ewing is a freelance writer Celia Konowe is from Reston, Va., and industry, advising clients regarding specializing in energy and environmental has a bachelor’s
R. Trauthwein third-generation leadership in the form of Dawn Massa Stancavish – builds upon the lega- [email protected] cy that started with Frank Massa, a man who pioneered the ? eld of electroacoustics, more Contributing Writers than 75 years ago; carried forward by Don Massa until the leadership
power or some combi- John Cagni [email protected]; +1 631-472-2715 years, even I have trouble cutting through nation thereof in the driver’s seat. Frank Covella the noise, as there are so many special • Go Digital. Now: The proliferation [email protected]; +1 561-732-1659 interest groups with
as director of engi- several leadership changes: Adam neering for its Bollinger Mississippi Peakes has been promoted to presi- Shipyard (BMS). dent; Frank Dunsford rejoined the group as CFO; Francesca Merlino Port of Oakland has been promoted to chief mar- Horne Orlowski Schneider Promotes Sánchez ketin
Insights Frank QA & Manning President & COO, Diversifed Marine, Inc. Frank Manning has quickly risen through the ranks during his eight years in the shipyard business, today serving as president and COO at Diversifed Marine, Inc. (DMI) in Portland, Ore. Crucial along the way has been a passion
NSMVs are the ? rst government ships built using the Vessel Tel: 631-472-2715 Construction Manager (VCM) contract model, which saw TOTE Servies Frank Covella • [email protected] Tel: 561-732-1659 Fax: 561-732-8063 hired as construction manager to take responsibility for shipyard
Sustainable Technology Hub By Eric Haun Charting a Way Forward By Jennifer Carpenter, AWO 12 Insights: Frank Manning, 58 People & Company News 22 Is Maritime Going Nuclear? Diversi? ed Marine, Inc. 59 New Products By Robert Kunkel, AMT By Eric
segments, John Cagni [email protected]; +1 631-472-2715 feel the meaning behind it and get a better and Finland’s recent admission to NATO Frank Covella view of the person themself. To jump on the will open many doors, too, on the military [email protected]; +1 561-732-1659 bridge of
n n n n n n n n n w with man n nip pu ul l l l l l lato or r r r r r r r rs s exte e en nd de ed d d d d d d. Courtesy Framework Robotics © DFKI, Thomas Frank of its vehicle components are made on its 3D printer, speci? - to autonomously detect and handle critical infrastructures un- cally an industrialized
in the design/development and ? eld of acoustics and as one of the founding fathers to apply mass-production of sonar since WWII. Massa’s founder, Frank engineering principles to the theoretical science of sound. 38 September/October 2023 MTR #7 (34-49).indd 38 10/2/2023 2:40:24 P
updated 12-inch and It’s been 25 years since MIT engineers Dr. James Belling- 9-inch vehicles, the Blue? n-21 has been the ? agship system ham and Frank van Mierlo started their entrepreneurial un- for over two decades, and is the basis for a number of unique derwater robotics company in a former auto-parts
for any misprints or claims Advertising Sales Manager Media, 118 E. 25th St., New York, or actions taken by advertisers. www.marinetechnologynews.com Frank Covella NY 10010-1062. Periodicals Post- The publisher reserves the right to Vol. 66 No. 7 [email protected] age Paid at New York, NY and